What exactly are the TE510's meant to be used for?

Are the earlier 510's comparable to the newer 08-10 ones though? I don't know much about the history of these bikes. I'm of the impression that 08 onwards got a fairly major redesign, particularly where they also went to fuel injection
Your statement about torque also seems to reinforce that, I wouldn't say my 510 is a particularly torquey motor. My 300 2t is way more content and happy to pull itself around at super low rpm, the 510 feels pretty weak. It clearly wants to rev, not lug. Very much like a 250F as opposed to an overbored 450

OK boys, to get back to the original question.

What exactly are the TE510's meant to be used for




We will need to go back a few years. Now as the story was told to me one cold and snowy night, which may or may not have some half truths to it. The big thumpers we first designed in Sweden for racing. This was at about the before time Husqvarna was first sold of to Italy. Some of the engineers from sweden stayed and started Hubaberg. They are the ones that further developed it thru the seventies? KTM and Husqvarna copy the design (maybe). Now lets jump ahead a few years (in europe ) Husky developed the TC, C for motoCross and the TE , E for Enduro. The enduro racing series in europe required Street legal bikes with lights and street legal approved knobbies. Since they were already selling in europe , they figured . " hey, lets sell these race bike to the Americans and tell them they are street bikes" hehehe. Far from a real Dual Sport Bike that the Americans were used to. Then comes along the Desert Racer . They needed some different from the TC and the TE s, so they marketed a TXC ( not for sale in Europe ) for us crazy Americans , cuase we will buy anything .
or something like that.
(former owner of a carbed TE510,and a current SM601 and a TXC449)

How did I do old Husqvarna guys?

Jimmyc, I would say that is good enough for the OP, but a lot of detail missing as well as you are condensing about 35 years,

I was trying to keep it short , plus I suffer from CRATS (cant remember all the sh!t)

To sum up, the TE 510 is an enduro RACE bike with lights and a plate. That's what it's "meant" for, but people have found all kinds of other uses for it, ideal or not.

I think I may be making some headway with this. Altitude.... I took the husky for a ride at some modest altitude yet enough for me to notice a drop in power, and that actually made the bike a lot better to ride. When I got back to sea level it was madness again and just too much. It's still mad but I could see if someone lived on Mt Everest where you don't have much choice but to compensate for lower output with bigger engines, then the TE510 it would be a great candidate if you still wanted that peaky high revving 250F feeling

In terms of speed, it does seem to want to sit in the 20-90kph range and is quite happy there. But even so I still feel very busy with the gears. But..... on rocky flowing inclines thats where it shines, you can just let rip at 10,000rpm clearing half the mountain and keeping that engine singing there perfectly through that gearbox. That's where its great. Flat or decline there's too much power and you just change through them too rapidly. But if you can keep it right on the rev limitter its flapping awesome!

its the Italian built and designed E3 race bike version of the same E2 race bike version..............

What exactly are the TE510's meant to be used for?

for riding.

The TE 510 is meant to be ridden off road in any terrain. Fire roads, hill climbs, single track, my 510 does it all great imo. I would buy a SWM 500 in a heart beat. I hope you find the same happiness in your '09 TE 510.

XL, without going off base too far, why a cloned 500 or whatever that swm bike is gonna be?

I think you should be able to answer that one yourself ray ray. Look at how much you got out of your big block 250 4t Husky. They are rock solid plated off road bikes that are much easier to uncork then the new bikes are now. The SWM 300, 500 and 650 are the same bikes as the Husky's. Wouldn't you buy another?

It's a good bike, and after fiddling with the suspension its better (I really do love the chassis on this bike, it's definitely its best aspect) but every time I ride it I feel like i'm being held back by some aspect of the bike, and its usually the damn gearbox. I just can't 'zen' with the bike, it's there for brief specific moments then its lost again as I encounter drawbacks of the bikes design

My biggest problem is that I already have a 300cc 2 stroke. Because I keep on thinking "yeah this is good, but the 300 is better, and easier" on every type of terrain and style of riding i've tried. Some people tell me to keep both, but in their minds they're probably imagining something like a KTM 500 which would indeed compliment my 300 well by being a sufficiently different bike. But the husky seems to sit inside the boundaries of what my 300 can already do, and it doesn't do any aspect better aside from sheer power - which more often than not is a detriment not a benefit, even if its a lot of fun

It's unique, i'll give it that. And that makes it cool in my books. But i'm a practical person and I can't find a practical place for it.
If someone else on here also owns a 300cc 2 banger then please chime in as maybe i'm just talking rubbish. But I keep on getting the feeling that if it was my only bike i'd love it and learn to live with its flaws, but I know that all I have to do is take the orange bike instead and I have all the positives with none of the drawbacks

There's always the drz400. ...

I recently went through a similar situation with a WR450F - it's been gone for a while now. Sell it and use the $$$ for something else.

If you want practical get a BMW, if you want passion get a husky. I had a 510 for years and rode it a lot. There wasn't anything the bike wasn't willing to do. The only drawback was the rider (me), sounds like you may have the same problem.

Ear plugs do wonders as well. Really.
They make all the engine and drive train noise seem within safe limits. They take the stress and worry out of the ride and allow you to be one with the steed without stressING over mechanical noises/rev limiter, etc